Saving Squint
by KaylaDestroyer
Summary: After being stomped flat by a mammoth, blasted away by a whale, and washing up bruised and bleeding on a beach, Squint us ready to give up the ghost. But will the hidden beauty of an old friend's love convince him he has yet more to live for in his newfound freedom?


Squint shivered violently, his tiny body a mere bundle of fur in the sand. The yellow grains were cool now that it was night, and a chilly wind had picked up. He was alone, his crew disbanded and separated, unlikely to find each other. But it wasn't merely being alone that affected him. No, it was dieing alone that sorrowed him. He would die alone, as a puddle of soaked fur on this beach, and no one would be there to help him, to assure him, no one to make his passing on smooth and painless. His breathing was weak and shallow, and he honestly didn't understand why he kept it up.

There was no point in trying. In a few minutes his puny lungs would no longer be functioning. He curled up a little tighter in the sand, wanting to at least die in some small bit of warmth. Squint let out a small whimper, wanting only to be warm and in just one other person's presence. But he knew no one would come. So why did he waste emotion and what little brain power he had left with wanting such things? He was dieing; it was time to just let go.

His mind became fuzzy, his vision began to darken, and his breathing became slower. Squint closed his eyes, succumbing to his fate. He couldn't even hear the lapping of the waves anymore. He was leaving it all behind for good. But then, something unexpected happened. He felt pain in his left ribcage from the contact of someone's hand, and let out a grumble. He didn't fancy dieing in pain either, which he had managed to ward off so far even with his multitude of injuries.

Couldn't this person see he was dieing? He needed comfort right now, not pain! Yet to his surprise two tender hands wrapped around his frail form and lifted him out of the sand. He let out another whimper, as he was even more cold than before, but the stranger didn't put him down. Rather, they held him close to their chest, cradling him securely. Squint couldn't resist snuggling into the stranger's warmth, finding himself much more comfortable. This would be a good place to die, he had everything he wanted; warmth, comfort, and company.

"What on earth happened to _you_?" a gentle voice whispered. Squint merely heaved a great sigh, lacking the strength to speak. One of the hands stroked his ears tenderly, comforting him further. He moaned sleepily, wondering who his company was; did they know him? The voice was feminine, it had to have been a female. "You're gonna' be all right." the voice whispered. Squint shifted himself in reply, eyes still closed.  
The stranger then lowered him carefully into something soft and warm, a sort of furry carrier. The air was perfectly heated, and a loud pulse was in his ears. He sighed with relief, eyes fluttering for a moment. Something told him that he knew this stranger, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Darkness descended over his mind as the strange carrier began to move, and Squint decided he was at last dieing in the comfort he wished.

* * *

The rabbit was surprised when, a short while later, he was awoken by a stinging pain appearing all over his body, and gave a moan of dissatisfaction. "Settle down, Jackrabbit. I know it hurts, but it's gonna' help ya'." the feminine voice soothed. That was the moment Squint knew he was still alive. He moaned and tried to shift himself, but the stranger held him still. "Squint, be _still_." the stranger commanded.

"H-how...do you know...my name?" he whispered. The stranger froze for a moment, before lifting him into a one armed cradle once more against her chest, stroking his ears tenderly.

"Squint, it's _me_; Raz." The rabbit's eyes fluttered.

"Raz?" he asked. The hand stroking his ears joined its partner in cradling him.

"Aye. You remembah' me, don't ya'?"

"I...I think so. You're a...a kangaroo right?"

"Aye." Squint gave a sigh and snuggled into Raz a little more, suddenly willing to live a little longer. The picture of the kangaroo slowly came into his hazy mind; she was violet and grey furred, tall, had a long, super strong tail, two hind legs of the same qualities, and two long, floppy ears. Her eyes were golden though; a deep, warm golden, like the sun. But she had never been this gentle before; she was always violent, always eager to fight and use her many weapons. He hardly even had the strength to open his eyes, but he could picture her face easily in his mind's eye. What he could not picture was a kind, soft expression on said face, one that her voice so clearly implied.

"How did you find me?"

"I was just goin' along my merry way, and I came across you lookin' dead in the sand. I figured I should check it out and see if you were really dead or not." Squint moaned.

"I'm pretty sure I was in the _middle_ of dieing." he replied.

"Maybe, maybe not. At least now we know you were only _mostly_ dead." Squint gave a cough.

"Mostly dead?"

"Sure. There's a difference between mostly dead and all dead ya' know." Raz replied. Squint merely groaned. "Think you can open you're eyes, mate?" The rabbit squeezed his eyelids for a moment, before weakly blinking them open and looking up at the kangaroo. Her warm eyes were the first thing he registered, then, as his vision cleared, her soft smile as she looked back at him. It had to be the calmest expression he'd ever seen her wear.

Then he saw the navy blue sky and twinkling white stars behind her head. And for a moment that was all he could see; the kind face of his rescuer, backgrounded by the night sky. His own eyes widened slightly as he blinked, his vision becoming better and better. "Raz..."

"Ya' feelin' bettah'?"

"A...a little." Squint replied. Something about the kangaroo seemed different, but he couldn't pinpoint what. She shifted herself suddenly, leaning back against a tree or large rock of some sort, he couldn't quite tell.

"In case you're wonderin', I put some healin' salve on your wounds. That's probably what woke ya' up earliah'." Raz explained in a soft voice. Squint blinked and looked down at himself, noticing the yellow paste covering his numerous wounds.

"You...you did all this?" he asked weakly. Raz nodded.

"Mm hm." she replied. "Now go to sleep. Ya' need as much sleep as possible." Squint blinked, before situating himself comfortably in the kangaroo's embrace. He then glanced up at her sheepishly.

"Um, you don't mind?" Raz chuckled.

"Squint, if I minded do ya' think I'd have set myself up like this in the first place?" The rabbit contemplated his answer for a moment.

"I...I guess not." Raz merely continued to give him a soft smile. "Raz, I..." Squint began, stopping to fully figure out what he wanted to say. "Thank you." he finally muttered. "I...I never thought you would be interested in rescuing anybody." The jill stroked his ears for a moment once more.

"Well, freedom changes people, and it releases them."

"Releases them?"

"Yes." With that the kangaroo tenderly wrapped her hand around the back of Squint' head, tucking it close against her chest. "Were free, Squint. Gutt can't do anythin' to us anymore." The rabbit smiled as such a thought dawned on him, and allowed himself to relax into Raz's embrace.

"You're right." he agreed. To his surprise, a gentle song suddenly entered his ears, furthering his drowsiness.

"_Anol shalom_

_Anol sheh lay konnud de ne um {shaddai}_

_Flavum_

_Nom de leesh Ham de nam um das_

_La um de, Flavne…_"

"What is that?" he whispered as his eyes began to close once more.

"A song my mothah' used to sing to me." Raz whispered back. "Its language ain't native to Australia, but she learned it bein' a travelah'. Like me." Squint smirked and let his eyes close completely.

"Can you sing some more?"

"_We de ze zu bu,_

_We de sooo a ru,_

_Un va-a pesh a lay!_

_Un vi-I bee!_

_Un da la pech ni sa! (Aaahh)_

_Un di-I lay na day!_

_Un ma la pech a nay!_

_Mee di nu ku!_"

Squint sighed in utter bliss. He'd never heard Raz's voice so clear and lilting before. He had to admit it was, beautiful. The kangaroo began to rock gently from side to side, although whether it was to the unheard beat of the song or to sooth himself he couldn't tell. Suddenly the song took a fast turn.

"_La la da pa da le na da na!_

_Ve va da pa da le na la dumda!_

_La la da pa da le na da na!_

_Ve va da pa da le na la dumda!_

_La la da pa da le na da na!_

_Ve va da pa da le na la dumda!_

_La la da pa da le na da na!_

_Ve va da pa da le na la dumda!_"

The excitement Squint felt was minimal; it merely made him feel happy. Happy to be alive, happy to be with Raz, happy to hear the song. The song immediately slowed back down, returning to its lilting, lullaby self and slowly putting the rabbit to sleep.

"_Anol shalom_

_Anol sheh ley kon-nud de ne um._

_Flavum. Flavum._

_M-ai shondol-lee Flavu… {Live on…}_

_Lof flesh lay._

_Nof ne Nom de lis_

_Ham de num um dass_

_La um de Flavne… Flay_

_Shom de nomm_

_Ma-lun des Dwondi."_

_Dwondi, Alas sharum du koos_

_Shaley koot-tum._" Raz finished softly. Squint sighed, hardly awake anymore.

"Beautiful." he breathed as sleep overtook him, gazing hazily up at the kangaroo's face. And he realized it was more than just her voice that was so. He saw something in Raz that night that he had never seen before. "You're beautiful." With that he was unable to keep his eyes open any longer. He sighed and allowed sleep to overtake him.

* * *

Raz blinked in surprise, and let her mouth hang open slightly as the rabbit fell asleep. Surely he had been only talking about her voice. Raz wasn't the best looking girl this side of the black stump, and she knew it. No one had ever even called her pretty, but she'd never had any problems with it before. To suddenly be called _beautiful_ flustered her in all honesty, and she wondered what had truly brought out such a compliment. "He was just talkin' about my voice." she muttered to assure herself, before falling asleep as well.

* * *

**What's this? 2 one-shots in 2 days? I'm on a roll! Plus I just finished exams and will be going home soon. XD Yeah, this is just anger bit that I've had in stock for a long, LONG time, and I decided to post it since I've been so...un-posty. XD I kind of left it open-ended, in a way, so I could continue it, but I don't know. So, plz leave a review and tell me what you guys think! :D**


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